My 200th Posting!

I can hardly believe this is my 200th post here at The Shadow of the Cross. I remember sitting here at the computer thinking over names for my blog and thinking about the direction I wanted to take with it. That has changed some since the beginning but there was never any doubt as to the name once I thought of this particular one.

My first post was on May 30, 2008, and it consisted of this simple quote by E. S. Bouton:

True wisdom lies in gathering the precious

things out of each day as it goes by.

The following day, June 1st, 2008, I posted my first photo. It was one of my daughter taken at Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky. Here it is again in case you missed it.

I have 23 people who regularly follow my blog and we have come to a total of 8,138 hits by people in 49 different countries.

So, onto my 200th post! Recently I was traveling into the city and saw all these beautiful wildflowers growing in the median. Each spring and summer these flowers bloom, and each spring and summer there seem to be more and more of them blanketing and beautifying this highway. The difference being this year I had my camera in the car :O). I pulled into the median, got out, and started snapping shots as cars whizzed past me at 65-70 miles an hour. Whoa! Here are the best shots I got. If you click them to full screen you will get a better look.

I like the fact that there are several types and colors growing all together. Did you know that this highway wildflower program started in Florida in 1998? The Department of Transportation realized they could save money by cutting mowing costs and they could also stabilize the soil by planting wildflowers in the medians of our public highways. This is something Lady Bird Johnson had started in her home state. Horticulturists at the University of Florida knew that native Floridian wildflowers would be the only ones that would withstand the heat. They did some initial studies and determined that flowers dug up and transported from natural-living locations would thrive and live better than store purchased seed. And so began the highway wildflower program.

Did you know that it is illegal to dig up these flowers and remove them? I'd really love for my yard to look like this (so would my husband), but we have been unable to get the store purchased seed variety to grow at all. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to go out with a shovel and a bucket and transfer some of these to my front yard. However, I don't think DOT or FHP would be amused.

I hoped you have enjoyed my 200th post. I can't believe how fast the year is going by. I have learned a lot about photography, not nearly as much as I'd like to, though. I am looking at new cameras. I think I am ready for the next step. Thank you for being so faithful and dedicated to The Shadow of the Cross. Thank you for your comments and encouragements. Thank you for your prayers for our family over the past couple weeks as we have now experienced three deaths in our family in as many weeks. God bless and please continue to visit. I love seeing you here.